The effectiveness of vocationally oriented multidisciplinary rehabilitation (ASLAK®) amongst public sector employees

In Finland, vocationally oriented medical rehabilitation (ASLAK®) is a common preventive rehabilitation measure with the primary goal of preserving and improving work ability. The ASLAK® programme has been used for almost 30 years, although limited data exist on its effectiveness. The aims of this study were to determine whether the increased risk of work disability predicts the participants’ likelihood to be granted ASLAK® rehabilitation and to assess the effectiveness of the programme in decreasing the risk of work disability and modifying health-risk behaviours. This study is a part of the on-going Finnish Public Sector Study conducted by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. Data on 53 416 employees (81% women) were gathered from employers’ records, national health registers and repeated survey responses. During the 5-year follow-up, increased levels of the risk factors for work disability did not predict participation in the rehabilitation programme. During the 2.8-year followup (range 0.04–5.0 years), the risk of long-term work disability (sick leave >90 days or retirement) overall or, more specifically, due to musculoskeletal or mental diseases did not differ between the rehabilitants who participated in ASLAK® in 1997–2005 and their propensity score matched controls. There was no evidence of ASLAK® being effective in changing participants’ health-risk behaviours or in improving perceived general or mental health. The results suggest that potential participant recognition, mainly taking place in occupational health care, may fail to identify those with a higher risk of work disability. No evidence on the effectiveness of the programme was found in the study cohort when measured by the selected indicators.

Effectiveness of the KiVa Antibullying Program

According to the participant role approach (Salmivalli, Lagerspetz, Björkqvist, Österman, & Kaukiainen, 1996), bullying is a group phenomenon that is largely enabled and maintained by the classmates taking on different participant roles (e.g., reinforcers or assistants of the bully). There is, however, very little evidence on whether the bystander behaviors actually have an effect on the risk for victimization. Furthermore, the participant role approach implies that the bystanders should be used in putting an end to bullying. This view has been put into practice in the KiVa antibullying program, but it has not yet been investigated whether the program is effective. Four studies were conducted to investigate, (a) whether the behaviors of bystanders have an effect on the risk for victimization (Study I) and (b) whether the KiVa program reduces bullying and victimization and has other beneficial effects as well (Studies II–IV). The participants included large samples of elementary and lower secondary school students (Grades 1–9) from Finland. The assessments were done with web-based questionnaires including questions about bullying and victimization (both self- and peer reports), and about several bullying-related constructs. The results of this thesis suggest that bystander behaviors in bullying situations may influence the risk for victimization of vulnerable students. Moreover, the results indicate that the KiVa antibullying program is effective in reducing victimization and bullying. The program effects are larger in elementary schools than in lower secondary schools, whereas in Grades 8 and 9, they are larger for boys than girls for some peer-reported outcomes. The magnitude of the overall effects can be considered practically significant when obtained in a large-scale dissemination of the program.

The effectiveness of financial innovation support tools. Comparative study of Latvia and Finland

In the Innovation Union Scoreboard of 2011, Latvia ranked last amongst the EU countries in innovation performance. Even though there is sufficient scientific and technological basis, the results remain modest or low in most of the indicators concerning innovations. Several aspects influence the performance a national innovation system. In Latvia, the low effectiveness is often attributed to lack of financial support tools. As a comparison, Finland was chosen because of its well-established and documented innovation system. The aim of this study is to research the efficiency and effectiveness of the current financial innovation support tool system in Latvia from the point of view of an innovating company. It also attempts to analyze the support tool system of Latvia and compare to the relevant parts of the Finnish system. The study found that it is problematic for innovative companies in Latvia to receive the necessary funding especially for start-ups and SMEs due to the low number of grant programs, funds and lacking offer from banks, venture capital and business angels. To improve the situation, the Latvian government should restructure the funding mechanisms putting a bigger emphasis on innovative start-ups and SMEs. That would lay a foundation for future growth and boost research and scientific activities in Latvia.

Effectiveness of an illustrated home exercise guide on promoting urinary continence during pregnancy: a pragmatic randomized clinical trial

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a efetividade de um manual de orientação de exercícios domiciliares (MOED) para o assoalho pélvico (AP) na promoção da continência urinária em gestantes primigestas.MÉTODOS: Ensaio clínico com 87 participantes, avaliadas 6 vezes durante a gestação e divididas aleatoriamente em 3 grupos: Grupo supervisionado (Gsup), que praticou exercícios com supervisão; Grupo observado (Gobs), que praticou exercícios sem supervisão, e Grupo referência (Gref), que não praticou exercícios. Incontinência urinária (IU) (desfecho primário) e força muscular perineal (FMP) (desfecho secundário) foram avaliadas por intermédio de diário de perdas urinárias e perineometria, respectivamente. Foram utilizados o teste de Kruskal-Wallis, seguido do teste post hoc de Dunn, para variáveis contínuas, e o teste do χ2 e testes Z, com correções de Bonferroni, para proporções, com nível de significância de 5%.RESULTADOS: O Gsup e o Gobs apresentaram 6,9% de gestantes incontinentes, enquanto o Gref apresentou 96,6% de incontinentes. Quanto à FMP, o Gsup e o Gobs apresentaram valores médios de contração de 10 e 8,9 cmH2O, respectivamente, enquanto o Gref apresentou valor de 4,7 cmH2O. Ambos os resultados significantes.CONCLUSÃO: A utilização de um MOED é eficaz na promoção da continência urinária e no aumento da FMP em gestantes primigestas, independentemente de supervisão permanente.

Conceptions of mathematics teacher education : thoughts among teacher educators in Tanzania

This study addresses the question of teacher educators’ conceptions of mathematics teacher education (MTE) in teacher colleges in Tanzania, and their thoughts on how to further develop it. The tension between exponents of content as opposed to pedagogy has continued to cause challenging conceptual differences, which also influences what teacher educators conceive as desirable in the development of this domain. This tension is connected to the dissatisfaction of parents and teachers with the failure of school mathematics. From this point of view, the overall aim was to identify and describe teacher educators’ various conceptions of MTE. Inspired by the debate among teacher educators about what the balance should be between subject matter and pedagogical knowledge, it was important to look at the theoretical faces of MTE. The theoretical background involved the review of what is visible in MTE, what is yet to be known and the challenges within the practice. This task revealed meanings, perspectives in MTE, professional development and assessment. To do this, two questions were asked, to which no clear solutions satisfactorily existed. The questions to guide the investigation were, firstly, what are teacher educators’ conceptions of MTE, and secondly, what are teacher educators’ thoughts on the development of MTE? The two questions led to the choice of phenomenography as the methodological approach. Against the guiding questions, 27 mathematics teacher educators were interviewed in relation to the first question, while 32 responded to an open-ended questionnaire regarding question two. The interview statements as well as the questionnaire responses were coded and analysed (classified). The process of classification generated patterns of qualitatively different ways of seeing MTE. The results indicate that MTE is conceived as a process of learning through investigation, fostering inspiration, an approach to learning with an emphasis on problem solving, and a focus on pedagogical knowledge and skills in the process of teaching and learning. In addition, the teaching and learning of mathematics is seen as subject didactics with a focus on subject matter and as an organized integration of subject matter, pedagogical knowledge and some school practice; and also as academic content knowledge in which assessment is inherent. The respondents also saw the need to build learner-educator relationships. Finally, they emphasized taking advantage of teacher educators’ neighbourhood learning groups, networking and collaboration as sustainable knowledge and skills sharing strategies in professional development. Regarding desirable development, teacher educators’ thoughts emphasised enhancing pedagogical knowledge and subject matter, and to be determined by them as opposed to conventional top-down seminars and workshops. This study has revealed various conceptions and thoughts about MTE based on teacher educators´ diverse history of professional development in mathematics. It has been reasonably substantiated that some teacher educators teach school mathematics in the name of MTE, hardly distinguishing between the role and purpose of the two in developing a mathematics teacher. What teacher educators conceive as MTE and what they do regarding the education of teachers of mathematics revealed variations in terms of seeing the phenomenon of interest. Within limits, desirable thoughts shed light on solutions to phobias, and in the same way low self-esteem and stigmatization call for the building of teacher educator-student teacher relationships.

Cost-effectiveness analysis in South Karelia Central Hospital

The target organization of this study, otherwise South-Karelia Social and Health Care District (Eksote) provides health, senior, family and social welfare services. South Karelia Central Hospital provides special health care and offers health services from all of the most important medical specialties. Eksote has in use 15D instrument to measure the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of their patients before and after their interventions for observing the health effects of the medical care. Furthermore, 15D allows measuring the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of health care when comparing these before and after results of the 15D measurements and adding the costs of the interventions into this research. The main purposes of this study were to analyze the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of medical care in South Karelia Central Hospital by using the gathered 15D data to calculate effectiveness and cost-effectiveness ratios and to analyze the reliability and availability of the data. Study has been conducted using literature review and quantitative research methods. The results indicate that from the patients within the eight units selected to this study the 15D change information was available from the 52 %, the 15D change and the cost information from 38 % and the information of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) produced and the cost information from 35 %. The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of medical care were greatest at the units of Pain Outpatient Clinic and Rheumatic Diseases Outpatient Clinic. The most effective medical care is given in the unit where the average price of one produced QALY is the highest (Orthopedics). However, the calculated standard deviations pointed out that there are great variances in the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness within the units also.

Quality enhancement in teacher education : Tanzanian teacher educators’ conceptions and experiences

The overall aim of this study was to investigate and examine teacher educators’ conceptions and experiences of quality of teacher education. The research interest therefore was two-fold: a) to deepen understanding of the concept quality and b) scrutinize experiences of teacher educators of quality enhancement. To achieve this ambition the study was conducted in the context of a newly established university college-based teacher education in Tanzania. Two research questions guided the study. The first focused on investigating how teacher educators conceived quality in the domain of teacher education and the second intended to explore teacher educators’ experiences of quality enhancement. The theoretical framework of the study centered on the concepts of teacher education, quality, and criteria for quality enhancement. Phenomenographic and phenomenological approaches under the main umbrella of qualitative research design were selected. Twenty five teacher educators participated in the study. Interviews were used for the collection of the data. The results of the first research question, in brief, indicate that teacher educators’ conceptions of quality are expressed in two main categories, namely, outstanding academic scholarship and adequate professional scholarship. Quality as outstanding academic scholarship was illustrated by two subcategories: excellence and positive transformation. While the former was composed of two aspects, the latter was demonstrated by three aspects. Quality as adequate professional scholarship was described in three sub-categories. The first was improved teaching competency, consisting of two aspects. The second was conscious research orientation, which is displayed by three aspects, and the last was enhancing the ability to reflect, represented by two aspects. The results of the second research question, which focused on exploring teacher educators’ experience of quality enhancement, were classified into two main categories of description: insufficient programs of teacher education and unsatisfactory professional development of teacher educators. From the two categories, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges related to programs of educating teachers, particularly curriculum development and implementation, and the professional development of educators, were exposed. Since the ambition of conducting the study was to deepen the understanding by producing insight that would act as a platform for appraising and enhancing the quality of teacher education, the results hopefully can be used for the development of the quality of teacher education in Tanzania.

Overview on the Cost-effectiveness of Maritime Safety Policy Instruments

Maritime safety is an issue that has gained a lot of attention in the Baltic Sea area due to the dense maritime traffic and transportation of oil in the area. Lots of effort has been paid to enhance maritime safety in the area. The risk exists that excessive legislation and other requirements mean more costs for limited benefit. In order to utilize both public and private resources efficiently, awareness is required of what kind of costs maritime safety policy instruments cause and whether the costs are in relation to benefits. The aim of this report is to present an overview of the cost-effectiveness of maritime safety policy instruments focusing on the cost aspect: what kind of costs maritime safety policy causes, to whom, what affects the cost-effectiveness and how cost-effectiveness is studied. The study is based on a literature review and on the interviews of Finnish maritime experts. The results of this study imply that cost-effectiveness is a complicated issue to evaluate. There are no uniform practices for which costs and benefits should be included in the evaluation and how they should be valued. One of the challenges is how to measure costs and benefits during the course of a longer time period. Often a lack of data erodes the reliability of evaluation. In the prevention of maritime accidents, costs typically include investments in ship structures or equipment, as well as maintenance and labor costs. Also large investments may be justifiable if they respectively provide significant improvements to maritime safety. Measures are cost-effective only if they are implemented properly. Costeffectiveness is decreased if a measure causes overlapping or repetitious work. Costeffectiveness is also decreased if the technology isn’t user-friendly or if it is soon replaced with a new technology or another new appliance. In future studies on the cost-effectiveness of maritime safety policy, it is important to acknowledge the dependency between different policy instruments and the uncertainty of the factors affecting cost-effectiveness. The costs of a single measure are rarely relatively significant and the effect of each measure on safety tends to be positive. The challenge is to rank the measures and to find the most effective combination of different policy instruments. The greatest potential offered for the analysis of cost-effectiveness of individual measures is their implementation in clearly defined risk situations, in which different measures are truly alternative to each other. Overall, maritime safety measures do not seem to be considered burdening for the shipping industry in Finland at the moment. Generally actors in the Finnish shipping industry seem to find maintaining a high safety level important and act accordingly.

Glyphosate Effectiveness in the Control of Macrophytes Under a Greenhouse Condition

The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of glyphosate, as Rodeo(r) formulation, to control Eichhornia crassipes, Pistia stratiotes, Salvinia molesta, Salvinia herzogii and Urochloa subquadripara, under greenhouse conditions. The doses assessed were (480, 960, 1440, 1920, 2400, 2880, 3360 and 3840 g ha-1 of glyphosate) with 0.5% of the Aterbane(r) BR surfactant and a control, with no herbicide application. All experiments were conducted in a completely randomized experimental design with ten replications. Applications were carried out by precision backpack sprayer at a CO2 constant pressure of 25 psi and spray solution consumption of 200 L ha-1. Product effectiveness was determined by assessing the growth inhibitions and phytotoxicity signals during the periods of 3, 7, 15, 21, 30 and 45 days after application (DAA). At 45 DAA, the highest glyphosate dose (3840 g ha-1) displayed 100% effectiveness for all four macrophyte species. Under greenhouse conditions, the glyphosate in formulation Rodeo(r) with 0.5% of Aterbarne(r) BR surfactant showed excellent effectiveness, inhibiting the growth of the floating aquatic macrophytes. This procedure can be included on the tillage plans for these species.